This time of year, we get many question about when and where practices and games will be played.

Where we play?

Typically, all games are played at Meridan Park, Buckland Park, or at the high school on the fields behind the football stadium.

When do we play?

All leagues will play on Saturdays, either in the morning, or afternoon. There may be a few Sunday games too.

The Saturday Instructional Program (SIP), plays on Saturday mornings.

The other leagues, in addition to Saturdays, will play one evening during the week.

At this point, we cannot say which leagues will play on what nights. This is because we do not know how many teams we will have for each league. As soon as we know how many teams we will have for this season, we can determine the schedule. We will post the schedule as soon as we have it.

We also get several questions about when the teams will practice. Unlike other sports programs in Brighton, we do not hold practices at regularly scheduled times. It is up to the coaches to schedule practices. Because of the lovely Spring weather in Brighton, we have a very limited amount of time to practice prior to the beginning of the season. It is entirely possible that there will be no practices with the team before the season begins.

Often, the coaches will work some practice time in prior to each game. Thus, do not be surprised if the coach ask to have your son or daughter at the game anywhere from 60-45 minutes prior to game time.

In any case, the coach will contact you about team practices.

How do we make up the teams?

The league presidents are in charge of making up the teams.

For our younger leagues, SIP and Rookies, the presidents will directly make up the teams, keeping in mind and trying to honor the numerous requests for players to play with their friends or for a particular coach. Unfortunately, we cannot always grant every request. We also recognize that it is best if two players are not on the same team. If a request is made for players not to be on the same team, we will do everything possible to see that this request is honored.

For our Minors and Majors we make up the teams based on player evaluations. All players registered by March 14th will be placed on a team. There are no cuts based on performance. We use the evaluation process so that the coaches can judge the player's ability. After the evaluations, the coaches for each league will hold a draft for the players, where the coaches get to choose their players. This is a fair process that leads to fairly balanced teams.

Please try to have your player attend the evaluation, as it makes the selection process more fair and teams more equitable.

In years past, we have let players register late, well after the registration deadline. This resulted in delays

While we do not want to do it, we will be placing players who register after March 14th on a waitlist. If there are spaces available after the team selections, or if there are enough players to make another team we will do so with the waitlisted players. If a player is not placed on a team from the waitlist we will refund the registration fees.

Players who are registered prior to March 14th, but have not paid their registration fees, or made arrangements with Brighton Baseball, will be placed on the waitlist. Announcements prior to the close of registration are being sent out to all registered players who have a balance due, in order to give ample opportunity to make sure the fees have been paid.

EQUIPMENT

There is very little mandatory equipment that a player needs. We will provide each player with a uniform

Glove: Each player should have their own glove.

Protection: Each player in the Minors and above should be wearing an athletic supporter/cup. Some players like to wear sliding shorts to protect their hips when they slide. These often come with a cup. If you son is playing catcher, they really should wear a cup.

Shoes: Plastic molded cleats are advisable, but not necessary. Cleats will improve traction.

Bats: Bats, many players like to have their own bat, however if you do not want to buy one, there are typically enough bats on the team that one will be available. If you do decide to buy a bat please see our note on buying a bat.

Helmets: We will provide helmets with face guards. However, many players prefer to have there own helmet. If you decide to buy a helmet, it must be equiped with a face guard.

Bat Bags/Backpacks: Not required, but useful to keep equipment together when running out the door, or on the long walk bag to the car.

It is that time of the year when we start buying new baseball equipment for the up coming season. As our young players grow, the equipment becomes too small. Cleats, gloves, and bats all become too small. Some of this equipments can be major investments, for what may only useful for one season.

Today, a bat can be a major investment. There is a bat on the market today which is being sold for $549. That bat is not for 100% of our younger players. When considering which bat to buy, you need to think about how serious your son or daughter is about the sport, at what level of play will your player participate, and what are your families resources. Just because a bat is not $250 or more, doesn't mean it is not a good bat, and a $50 bat swung correctly, is better than one that costs a paycheck but is too heavy or long, even if it does have the coolest graphics.

Little League has set certain standards and rules for bats based on age group. All composite bats need to be approved by Little League to be legal in our program. A list of current Little League approved composite bats can be seen here.

Buying a bat of the appropriate size can be difficult, but the following chart helps simplify the process.

If you are a coach, think you are interested in coaching, or want to know more about youth baseball, then plan on attending Little League’s Big Al Coaching Clinic.

This is a Little League sponsored event, and free to all coaches and parents in Brighton. Whether you have been coaching for years, or want to get started that will help you better understand modern expectations in youth baseball, and coaching techniques and philosophies to best work with our youth.

What: Big Al Coaching Clinic

When: April 18th

Morning session for coaches of players 9-13yo

Registration 8:15, Session 8:30-12:30

Afternoon session for coaches and parents of players 4-8yo

Registration 12:45, Session 1:00-4:30

Where: East Ridge High School gymnasium,

2350 East Ridge Rd.

East Irondequoit, NY 14622

Thank You,

Chris Stodgell

Commissioner

Brighton Baseball

Here are some FAQ about the clinic from the organizers:

Q. I can't make the session (morning or afternoon) for my child's age group. Can I attend the other session instead?

A. Yes, if you can't make the targeted session (either 9-13 years or 4-8 years), please attend the other session instead. There is overlap between the two sessions, and you will still gain significant insight and benefit from attending.

Q. How do I sign up (register) for this event?

A. If you are a member of a District 4 Little League program, as a parent and/or volunteer coach, there is no need to register for the event. Your league has provided support for the program, allowing all their coaches to attend. Simply show up on April 18th for either the morning or afternoon session, wearing comfortable clothes (and bring a glove if you have one). If you are not part of a District 4 Little League program, you can register to attend by going online at www.bigalbaseball.com/clinics or by calling 1-866-940-0227.

Q. I'd like to attend, but I have to bring my dog/cat/(insert pet) with me. Is this OK?

A. Unfortunately, pets are not allowed in the host facility. We hope you can make alternate arrangements that would allow you to attend.

Q. Can I attend both morning and afternoon sessions? I'm coaching in two age groups and want to get benefit from both sessions.

A. There is considerable overlap between the two sessions, as the key coaching principles are similar to both age groups. You are welcome to attend both sessions, but most coaches only attend one session. If you only have time to attend one session, the instructors suggest attending the morning session (for coaches of players age 9-13).

However, please be aware that registration fees will go up on March 1st. Unfortunately, players registered after March 14th, will be placed on the waitlist and only placed on a team if there are spaces available, or if enough waitlisted players are available to construct an additional team for that league.

Another great year is planned for youth baseball in Brighton, and you don’t want to miss out on the fun! The tables below will direct you to the correct registration form for your age group. Eligible players must live or attend school (public or private) in the Town of Brighton. Click here for more detail about each age group.

A dedicated group of volunteers is already in the planning stages for next season, with Opening Day already scheduled for Saturday, 5/2/2015.

Once your player is registered for the season, you will be able to take advantage of Saturday indoor practice time and clinics at Turf Time beginning January 17th from 9AM-noon for the following age groups:

SIP: 9-10am

Rookies: 10-11am

Minors and older: 11-noon.

So, don't miss out on this great opportunity to hone your skills for this Spring!

A limited number of need based scholarships are available for the 2015 season. Please contact Chris Stodgell for information

Please consider volunteering to coach
It is never too late to start coaching; as the kids advance they need to be exposed to the leadership and confidence building aspects of coaching along with specific skills and positive role models.

New this year, we are planning a couple of coaching clinics. If you are new to coaching, or an experienced coach, come listen to Jason Wasserman, Brighon High Schools Varsity Coach about what we should expect of our young players, and how to coach the skills our players need.

Brighton Baseball is always open to new members and the contributions of new perspectives. You may volunteer to help coach when you fill our your child's registration below. You'll also need to fill out a volunteer application to coach. Click below and email it to Chris Stodgell at chris.stodgell@gmail.com, or mail it to